Being a child often means living in a world of your own imagination.
Do you remember the places you could go when you let your mind roam as a child? With a little extra mental work, your sandbox could become a desert and your kiddie pool could become an ocean. For most people growing up, their childhood fantasies of being cowboys or warrior princesses remained fantasies.
For one girl in England, those fantasies came true—if only for a day.
It started as a normal vacation with her family for seven-year-old Matilda Jones.
The whole crew had taken a trip to Cornwall, England, specifically to Dozmary Pool. For any history buffs out there, Dozmary Pool has a reputation in English folklore as being a noteworthy destination. According to legend, the last time King Arthur fought was in the Battle of Camlann, where he defeated his rival, Mordred. In the process, he was fatally wounded—and retreated to Dozmary Pool, dropping his legendary sword, Excalibur, in the lake.
Jones’ father had just finished telling his daughter the story when something amazing happened.
After hearing the story, Matilda decided to go swimming in the lake.
As she dove in, she saw something glimmering beneath the surface and shouted out to her dad about it. She swam closer and saw some kind of metal under her. According to her dad, he was skeptical that it was anything important:
“I told her not to be silly and it was probably a bit of fencing.”
As it turned out, Matilda pulled out a four-foot long sword!
After finding the sword, the Jones family decided to have a little photo shoot with it.
Although the sword is likely not the fabled Excalibur that King Arthur may have thrown in the lake thousands of years before, it was a good enough substitute for the day. According to her father the sword is more likely an “old film prop,” though that still didn’t spoil any of the fun! Besides, there was another twist to the story.
Ironically enough, Matilda shares a name with Empress Matilda, a 12th-century heir to the throne!
The story has spread around the internet—and it’s easy to see why.
No matter how old we get, we’re all looking for a little magic in our lives to break up the monotony. For the Jones family, they got it that day as they imagined themselves playing a part in the fabled folklore surrounding King Arthur!
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